Tuesday, 6 September 2011

UNISON has sent solidarity greetings to the Public Services Federation of sister union CGIL as the Italian trade union movement today mounts a general strike against austerity measures being imposed by the Berlusconi government: http://bit.ly/mU2473

Dave Prentis said ‘the peoples of Britain, Italy and the European Union are living through a financial and economic crisis that is not of their making. As a result of the austerity policies that are being promoted by our national governments and the European Commission they are now being asked to pay for this crisis through attacks on their wages and terms and conditions, job losses and major cuts to public services’:

In the Morning Star Tom Gill reports on the familiar austerity measures of the right wing Italian Government: ‘the latest version of the manovra (supplementary budget) includes proposals to cut central government spending, including on infrastructure and R&D, plus a reduction of transfers to regional and local government, which will lead to heavy cuts to schools, hospitals and other local public services. There are also measures to cut pensions, reduce pay for civil servants whose departments don't meet efficiency targets and delay payment of the lump sum that public-sector workers receive when they retire, along with changes that will encourage more local pay bargaining.’ http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/content/view/full/109106

A CGIL international newsletter gives detailed background to the alternative economic strategy being proposed by Italy’s largest union federation: http://bit.ly/nGk6r1 .